Workers of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) stormed the Wayanad Collectorate in Kalpetta on Friday, accusing the Centre and state governments of neglecting the rehabilitation of survivors of Mundakkai-Chooralmala landslides, which caused widespread devastation in Wayanad last year.
The UDF activists laid siege to the collectorate, alleging serious lapses in the rehabilitation efforts. They blocked all three entrances, preventing staff from entering or reporting for duty.
A clash erupted when some employees attempted to enter the building during the protest. Congress leader T Siddique, MLA, criticized Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, stating that despite visiting Wayanad alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he had not returned since.
“We will not allow anyone to disrupt our protest,” he asserted.
The protesters’ primary demand is the allocation of at least ten cents of land per family and an expedited rehabilitation process.
The protest was inaugurated by E. T. Muhammed Basheer, MP. Addressing the gathering, Sunny Joseph, MLA, expressed disappointment over the government’s inaction.
“Even after seven months, the government has failed to complete tasks that could have been done in seven weeks. They have neither identified the land nor decided how much will be allocated to each family,” he said.
He also highlighted that various organizations, including the Karnataka government, Congress, IUML, and Youth Congress, had stepped forward to construct homes, while people had contributed approximately Rs 750 crore to the CMDRF.
“Despite collective efforts, rehabilitation is progressing at a snail’s pace,” he added.
Earlier, UDF had initiated a day-night protest in front of the Wayanad Collectorate, starting at 3 pm on Thursday and concluding at 7 am on Friday.
Following this, they escalated their agitation by laying siege to the collectorate. However, the protesters were later arrested and removed by the police.